La Gomera Practical Reference

The documented site is located on La Gomera, an island in the Canary archipelago. The land was highly mineral, alkaline and compacted, with little organic matter and limited soil life. Its capacity to retain water was also low. This created challenging initial conditions for the practical development of a fertile soil ecosystem.

Before

Initial conditions and existing structures

The photographs document the site before its transformation: open and compacted soil areas, uneven vegetation and the existing woody plants and irrigation structures.

Initial conditions with bare soil and an existing irrigation line — Bare soil and existing site structure

Narrow section of the site before redesign — Compacted area with sparse vegetation

Site backlit before redesign — The site before regeneration work began

Ground beneath existing woody plants before redesign — Existing woody plants were retained as ecological structure

Dry soil surface between trees — Dry surface with uneven cover

Initial conditions of a site with a tree and bare soil — Trees and open soil areas

Sparsely vegetated site before regeneration — Uneven vegetation before intervention

Soil and plant residues at the project site — Organic material and the existing soil surface

Overview of the site before redesign — Overview of the initial area

Damaged vegetation on heavily compacted soil before redesign — Unhealthy vegetation on compacted soil

Damaged vegetation and existing woody structure before redesign — Damaged vegetation among the existing woody plants

Uneven unhealthy vegetation on the initially compacted site — Uneven growth on the initially compacted area

Unhealthy low-growing vegetation before regeneration work — Unhealthy low-growing vegetation before intervention

Starting point: learning from mistakes

Organic materials and animal manure had previously been placed in deep pits on the site. Observations suggested that some of this material decomposed anaerobically or remained largely undecomposed for a long time. The experience showed that organic matter alone does not guarantee stable soil development: moisture, oxygen, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, the mineral matrix and microbial activity must interact.

The central lesson: Fertility is not created by a single measure. What matters are suitable conditions under which biological, organic and mineral processes can work together.

The approach developed

Building an organic foundation

Controlled aerobic composting created a stable organic and microbial foundation. The prepared material could then be incorporated deliberately into the wider regeneration process.

Selective site preparation

Damaged vegetation was to be removed and returned to the material cycle wherever possible. Suitable healthy woody plants were retained to avoid unnecessary destruction of existing ecological structures.

Soil loosening

Severe compaction made mechanical loosening with a motorised tiller necessary. The intervention was intended to enable germination, root development and the incorporation of carefully selected materials.

Site-specific materials

Organic and mineral components were selected according to site conditions. The focus was on structure, buffering, water-holding capacity, nutrient dynamics and the creation of a more diverse organo-mineral matrix.

Biodiverse plant communities

Nitrogen-fixing plants, biomass producers and deep-rooted species were combined. The plants could cover and root through the soil, supply organic matter and create habitat and food for the soil ecosystem.

Microbial impulse

Compost tea and other inoculation approaches could support the development of fungi, aerobic bacteria, single-celled organisms and nematodes. People provided the impulse; the soil ecosystem was then intended to organise itself increasingly.

During the transformation

Preparation, loosening and development

The area was prepared step by step. The images show the loosened soil surface and Alexander carrying out practical work at the site.

Alexander carrying out practical soil work — Alexander in action

Alexander using a motorised tiller at the project site — Mechanical loosening as a targeted impulse for germination and root development

Mechanically loosened dark soil surface — Loosened and prepared soil surface

Prepared soil beneath existing trees — Site preparation while retaining the woody plants

Prepared soil with existing tree structure — Evenly cultivated initial area

Prepared area with work equipment — Practical work and further site preparation

Newly prepared soil area with a tree — Finely prepared surface for vegetation

Overview of the prepared site — Area after basic cultivation

Newly germinating seeds in the prepared soil surface — Initial germination in the prepared soil surface

Young diverse growth with a ladybird — Young growth with a visible beneficial organism

Increasingly dense plant cover of grasses and clover — Increasingly closed and diverse plant cover

Continuous green growth beneath the existing trees — Developed growth while retaining the existing woody plants

What La Gomera means for RED

La Gomera is neither a universal formula nor completed scientific proof. The experience is the practical origin of a learning process. It showed the importance of adapting measures to each site, observing processes over the long term and not replacing natural cycles with isolated interventions.

The work that was successfully carried out gave rise to the core idea that continues to shape RED: people do not build an ecosystem like a machine. They can, however, improve conditions, initiate cycles, observe and take responsibility. The experience on La Gomera therefore provides an important practical reference for the RED Method and for developing Project: Fertile Earth as a future living laboratory.

“As a human being, I am only able to provide the impulse and temporarily create an environment in which plants and soil life can develop.”

Paraphrased from the documentation of the project site on La Gomera

After

Regenerative growth

The result was largely closed, diverse soil cover. Different plant forms, flowering resources and visible beneficial organisms demonstrate the increasing ecological structure of the area.

Diverse plants forming dense ground cover — Diverse plant structure within dense growth

Flower within the regenerative vegetation — Flowers within the plant community

Closed green ground cover — Closed soil cover

Dense growth on the regenerated site — Dense, established growth

Regenerated site with dense vegetation — Vegetation development across the area

Overview of the densely vegetated site — Overview of the regenerative growth

Close-up of a diverse plant community — Diversity within a small area

Green vegetation covering the regenerated soil — Stable, continuous vegetation cover

Ladybird within the vegetation — Visible beneficial organism within the vegetation structure

Flower within the diverse plant cover — A further flower within the soil cover

Densely vegetated site after applying the RED Method — Area after integrating the RED Method

Flowering regenerative growth after redesign — Flowering growth after the transformation

A project made possible collectively

The documented work did not arise in isolation. It was made possible through the trust and support of local people and was also shaped by practical knowledge passed on by others. RED therefore understands this experience not only as technical development, but also as an example of regeneration being founded on collaboration, responsibility and long-term support.

Contextual note: This page summarises the presentation ‘Building & Developing a Fertile Ecosystem’ as a practical reference. The measures described were implemented at the specific site on La Gomera. The experience gained is documented, placed in professional context and developed further through RED’s continuing work.

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